WALLOWA COUNTY — The Elbow Creek Fire burning in northwestern Wallowa County continued to grow over the weekend, but the fire spread at a slower pace than in the initial 24 hours as firefighters made gains on the blaze.

As of the latest update Monday morning, July 19, the blaze burning southwest of Troy is at a reported 16,432 acres, with the latest total including growth not previously captured by infrared mapping, according to the Type 1 Oregon Department of Forestry Incident Management Team 3 that is battling the fire.

There are a total of 343 firefighters working on the fire, the team said.

“Crews continued to manage northside lines of the fire perimeter successfully,” the update stated. “Growth occurred on the southwest side with winds out of the northeast pushing the fire through the canyons. Steep and rocky terrain continues to be challenging in the canyons of the Grande Ronde River. With a limited number of crews, the incident management team will focus efforts in the most challenging areas along the southwestern portions of the fire in the Grossman Creek Drainage. Dozers are also being utilized in this area along the top of canyon shelves where they can be more effective. The eastern edge of the fire is holding and has transitioned to mop-up operations.”

Weather conditions could bring additional challenges to firefighters. A red flag warning is in effect, with the potential for severe lightning and thunderstorms in the forecast.

“Thunderstorm activity could also bring erratic winds, further challenging fire suppression actions,” the update read.

Conflagration Act invoked

The Conflagration Act was invoked by Gov. Kate Brown in response to the fire, the governor’s office reported July 17, which led to the Type 1 team being called in. Firefighters from across the state have flocked to Wallowa County, with the task forces coming from Marion, Columbia and Yamhill counties, according to Les Hallman, the deputy incident commander.

Residents in Troy and Eden Bench had been placed on a Level 3 ‘Get Out’ Evacuation notice July 15 as the fire quickly grew, reaching 9,000 acres by early July 16. So far, there have been no structures damaged in those areas, Wallowa County Sheriff’s Deputy Paul Pagano said during a virtual community meeting July 18. Pagano said a “vacation structure” to the south, though, had been lost.

‘Extreme fire behavior’

During the virtual meeting the night of July 18, incident commander Link Smith shared a sobering stat, saying there was “extreme fire behavior” and there were reports of the fire spreading “1,000 acres an hour” in its early stages. He said it grew despite the best efforts of local crews who battled the blaze early as it was fueled by winds due to it burning in dry, rugged terrain.

The fire, which started near the confluence of Elbow Creek and the Grande Ronde River at about 2:30 p.m. July 15 then quickly spread east along both sides of the river, has been tamped down to some extent. Crews conducted a successful burnout operation July 17 and 18 near Wildcat Creek to keep it from jumping the waterway, operations chief Eric Perkins said during the virtual meeting.

He said, though, there have been challenges on the fire’s west side, noting “a couple spot fires in Elbow Creek that have been problematic.” He also said a hot spot near Sickfoot Creek to the south has given firefighters issues.

As of July 18, the fire has spread toward Sickfoot Road to the south, had burned in Ward Canyon and has started to make its way up Eden Bench to the north. At the west end, it jumped Grossman Creek to the south of the Grande Ronde River, Oregon Department of Forestry officials said July 17, and was starting to burn near the area of Indian Point.

Troy in good shape for now

The town of Troy appears to be “fine for now,” Pagano said July 18. The fire’s southeast edge, just west of Wildcat Creek, is about 4 miles from the town.

It still is close to Promise, less than a mile away, which is where a spike camp was initially set up.

Wallowa County commissioners have asked residents and visitors to steer clear of the region to allow firefighters access to the blaze, they said July 17.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.